Digital Commons Network^™

Ethnicity And Mental Health Treatment Utilization By Patients With Personality Disorders, Donna S. Bender, Andrew E. Skodol, Ingrid R. Dyck, John C. Markowitz, M. Tracie Shea, Shirley Yen, Charles A. Sanislow, Anthony Pinto, Mary C. Zanarini, Thomas H. Mcglashan, John G. Gunderson, Maria T. Daversa, Carlos M. Grilo

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

The authors examined the relationship between ethnicity and treatment utilization by individuals with personality disorders (PDs). Lifetime and prospectively determined rates and amounts of mental health treatments received were compared in over 500 White, African American, and Hispanic participants with PDs in a naturalistic longitudinal study. Minority, especially Hispanic, participants were significantly less likely than White participants to receive a range of outpatient and inpatient psychosocial treatments and psychotropic medications. This pattern was especially pronounced for minority participants with more severe PDs. A positive support alliance factor significantly predicted the amount of individual psychotherapy used by African American and Hispanic …

Biological Variability Dominates And Influences Analytical Variance In Hplc-Ecd Studies Of The Human Plasma Metabolome, Yevgeniya I. Shurubor, Wayne R. Matson, Walter C. Willett, Susan E. Hankinson, Bruce S. Kristal

Susan E. Hankinson

Background Biomarker-based assessments of biological samples are widespread in clinical, pre-clinical, and epidemiological investigations. We previously developed serum metabolomic profiles assessed by HPLC-separations coupled with coulometric array detection that can accurately identify ad libitum fed and caloric-restricted rats. These profiles are being adapted for human epidemiology studies, given the importance of energy balance in human disease. Methods Human plasma samples were biochemically analyzed using HPLC separations coupled with coulometric electrode array detection. Results We identified these markers/metabolites in human plasma, and then used them to determine which human samples represent blinded duplicates with 100% accuracy (N = 30 of 30). …

The Number Of Sick Persons In A Cohort, Paula Diehr

Paula Diehr

To see if the number of sick persons in a cohort was approximately constant over time, we calculated the number of sick persons in a “research” cohort of older adults followed for up to 14 years, and also in a synthetic birth cohort. Methods: In the research cohort, we calculated the actual number of persons in each health state over time, using eight different definitions of “sick”. For the birth cohort, we estimated the number of sick persons each year after birth. Results: The number of sick persons in the research cohort was approximately constant for 14 years, for all …

Complementary And Alternative Medicine: Opportunities And Challenges, William Marty Martin, Hugh Long

William Marty Martin

Health care finance is complex in all sectors of the health care industry. This article highlights both the challenges and opportunities of financing and reimbursing care with a focus on CAM providers and CAM provider organizations.

The Epidemiology And Economics Of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, David M. Mannino, S. Braman

David M. Mannino

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a preventable and treatable disease responsible for a large human and economic burden around the world. Cigarette smoking is the main risk factor for COPD in the developed world, although other important risk factors include occupational exposures, air pollution, airway hyperresponsiveness, asthma, and genetic predisposition. In most of the world, COPD prevalence and mortality continue to rise in response to increases in smoking, particularly by women and adolescents. COPD is also an important cause of disability, and is linked to comorbid diseases, such as depression and cardiovascular disease, which adds to the large economic …

Aids-Defining Illnesses: A Comparison Between Before And After Commencement Of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (Haaart), Yvonne Lim Ai Lian

Yvonne Lim Ai Lian

Attempts to address the significant impact of HAART on medical variables on the Malaysian HIV/AIDS population have yet to be evaluated. This study aims to analyze the proportions of AIDS-defining illnesses (ADIs) before and after HAART. A retrospective study was carried out on 128 new cases of HIV infected patients who first commenced HAART in 2004 at the national HIV reference center. Before commencement of HAART, 76 clinical episodes of ADIs were recorded in 52 patients. Most common being pulmonary Mycobacterium tuberculosis (28.9%), PCP (27.6%) and disseminated and extrapulmonary Mycobacterium tuberculosis (11.8%). During HAART, 8 clinical episodes of ADIs were …

Mainstreaming And Integrating The Substance And Spectacle Of Scholar-Baller: A New Game Plan For The Ncaa, Higher Education And Society, Keith Harrison

Dr. C. Keith Harrison

The purpose of this chapter is to theoretically and empirically capture the cultural divide between education and sport and entertainment in American society. The NCAA Academic Reform Movement has evolved from holding individuals accountable to presently monitoring institutions and their retention and graduation success of college student athletes. This movement will require a deeper examination of how culture influences academic attitudes and lifelong learning. Based on empirical data from different methodologies, this chapter proposes that student athletes; especially African American males, are often stereotyped with few strategies to empower their academic and athletic identities. The Scholar-Baller Paradigm is designed to …

The Sensitivity And Psychometric Properties Of A Brief Computer-Based Cognitive Screening Battery In A Depression Clinic, S A. Langenecker, A Caveney, B Giordani, E A. Young, Kristy Nielson, L J. Rapport, L A. Bieliauskas, M J. Mordhorst, S Marcus, N Yodkovik, K Kerber, S Berent, J K. Zubieta

Kristy Nielson

At present, there is poor accuracy in assessing cognitive and vegetative symptoms in depression using clinician or self-rated measures, suggesting the need for development of standardized tasks to assess these functions. The current study assessed the psychometric properties and diagnostic specificity of a brief neuropsychological screening battery designed to assess core signs of depression; psychomotor retardation, attention and executive functioning difficulties, and impaired emotion perception within an outpatient psychiatry setting. Three hundred eighty-four patients with mood disorders and 77 healthy volunteers participated. A large percentage of patients met diagnostic criteria for Major Depressive Disorder alone (49%) or with another comorbid …

Drug Utilization And Cost In A Medicaid Population: A Simulation Study Of Community Vs. Mail Order Pharmacy, Rosa Rodriguez-Monguio, Satish Valluri, Enrique Seoane-Vazquez, Sheryl Szeinbach

Rosa Rodriguez-Monguio

Background Outpatient drugs are dispensed through both community and mail order pharmacies. There is no empirical evidence that substitution of community pharmacy with mail order reduces overall drug expenditures. The need for evaluating the potential effects on utilization and costs of the possible extension of mail order services in Medicaid provides the rationale for conducting this study. This study compares drug utilization and drug product cost in community vs. mail order pharmacy dispensing services in a Medicaid population. Methods This study is a retrospective cohort study comparing utilization and cost patterns in community vs. mail order pharmacy. A simulation model …

Faculty And Male Student Athletes In Higher Education: Racial Differences In The Environmental Predictors Of Academic Achievement, Keith Harrison

Dr. C. Keith Harrison

Studies have examined the impact of environmental variables on academic achievement among student athletes in the revenue-generating sports of men’s basketball and football. However, while evidence concerning the positive impact of male student athlete and faculty interaction is virtually unequivocal, we are not certain whether the benefits accruing from particular types of interaction vary across different racial/ethnic groups. This study explores the relationship between male Black and White student athletes and faculty as well as the impact of specific forms of student athlete– faculty interaction on academic achievement. Data are drawn from the Cooperative Institutional Research Program’s 2000 Freshman Survey …

Talented Children And Adults: Their Development And Education, Jane Piirto

Jane Piirto

No abstract provided.

Positive Childhood Experiences: Resilience And Recovery From Personality Disorder In Early Adulthood, Andrew E. Skodol, Donna S. Bender, Maria E. Pagano, M. Tracie Shea, Shirley Yen, Charles A. Sanislow, Carlos M. Grilo, Maria T. Daversa, Robert L. Stout, Mary C. Zanarini, Thomas H. Mcglashan, John G. Gunderson

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

OBJECTIVE: Recent follow-along studies of personality disorders have shown significant improvement in psychopathology over time. The purpose of this study was to prospectively investigate the association between positive childhood experiences related to resiliency and remission from personality disorder.

METHOD: Five hundred twenty patients with DSM-IV-based semistructured interview diagnoses of schizotypal, borderline, avoidant, or obsessive-compulsive personality disorders were evaluated 6 times over 4 years between September 1996 and June 2002. Positive childhood experiences, including achievements, positive interpersonal relationships with others, and caretaker competencies, were measured using the Childhood Experiences Questionnaire-Revised. The effects of positive childhood experiences on clinically significant remission from …

Benefits Of Training Family Caregivers, Jung Kwak, Jennifer Salmon, Kimberly D. Acquaviva, Katherine Brandt

Kimberly D. Acquaviva, PhD, MSW

during the last years of life that focuses on the emotional, spiritual, and practical aspects of life and relationship completion and closure. This study evaluated the effectiveness of CGLE in improving three major outcomes: comfort with caregiving, closure, and caregiver gain. Family caregivers (n = 2,025) participated in programs facilitated by health and human service professionals (n = 142) who completed a CGLE train-the-trainer workshop conducted by The Hospice Institute of the Florida Suncoast. The caregivers completed training rosters and pre- and/or post-surveys. Group differences are reported in baseline characteristics and change in three outcomes for caregivers who completed 1) …

Risk Factors Of Gastrointestinal Nematode Parasite Infections In Small Ruminants Kept In Smallholder Mixed Farms In Kenya., Agricola Odoi, J M. Gathuma, C K. Gachuiri, A Omore

Agricola Odoi

BACKGROUND: Helminth infections in small ruminants are serious problems in the developing world, particularly where nutrition and sanitation are poor. This study investigated the burden and risk factors of gastrointestinal nematode parasite infections in sheep and goats kept in smallholder mixed farms in the Kenyan Central Highlands. Three hundred and seven small ruminants were sampled from 66 smallholder mixed farms in agro-ecological zones 1 (humid) and 3 (semi-humid) in the Kenyan Central highlands. The farms were visited once a month for eight months during which a health and production survey questionnaire was administered. Fecal samples were collected at each visit …

Physician Colorectal Cancer Screening Recommendations: An Explanation Based On Informed Decision-Making, Yelena N. Tarasenko, Sarah B. Wackerbarth, Jennifer M. Joyce, Steven A. Haist

Yelena N. Tarasenko

Objective: The purpose of this research was to examine the content of physicians’ colorectal cancer screening recommendations. More specifically, using the framework of informed decision making synthesized by Braddock and colleagues, we conducted a qualitative study of the content of recommendations to describe how physicians are currently presenting this information to patients.

Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews with 65 primary care physicians. We analyzed responses to a question designed to elicit how the physicians typically communicate their recommendation.

Results: Almost all of the physicians (98.5%) addressed the “nature of decision” element. A majority of physicians discussed “uncertainties …

Perinatal Bisphenol A Exposure Increases Estrogen Sensitivity Of The Mammary Gland In Diverse Mouse Strains, Perinaaz R. Wadia, Laura Vandenberg, Cheryl M. Schaeberle, Beverly S. Rubin, Carlos Sonnenschein, Ana M. Soto

Laura Vandenberg

BACKGROUND: Studies of low-dose effects of xenoestrogens have yielded conflicting results that may be attributed to differences in estrogen sensitivity between the rodent strains examined. Perinatal exposure of CD-1 mice to low doses of the xenoestrogen bisphenol A (BPA) alters peripubertal mammary gland development. Future studies to assess the role of estrogen receptors as mediators of BPA action require estrogen receptor knock-out mice that were generated on a C57Bl6 background. The sensitivity of the C57Bl6 strain to estradiol and BPA is unknown. OBJECTIVES: In the present study we examined whether the mammary glands of CD-1 and C57Bl6 mice exhibited similar …

Healthcare Markets, The Safety Net, And Utilization Of Care Among The Uninsured, Carole Roan Gresenz, Jeannette Rogowski, Jose J. Escarce

Carole Roan Gresenz

No abstract provided.

Longitudinal Effects Of Personality Disorders On Psychosocial Functioning Of Patients With Major Depressive Disorder, John C. Markowitz, Andrew E. Skodol, Eva Petkova, Jianfeng Cheng, Charles A. Sanislow, Carlos M. Grilo, John G. Gunderson, Thomas H. Mcglashan

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

OBJECTIVE: No previous research has focused on psychosocial functioning in understanding how personality disorders compound the impairment caused by major depressive disorder over time. This report describes the effects of persistent and remitting comorbid personality disorders on the depressive status and functioning of patients with major depressive disorder over the course of 2 years.

METHOD: Longitudinal data on functioning from the first 2 years of the Collaborative Longitudinal Personality Disorders Study were evaluated for 3 groups of subjects with major depressive disorder: subjects with major depressive disorder alone (N = 103), those with persistent comorbid personality disorders (N = 164), …

Bereavement In The Modern Western World, David San Filippo Ph.D.

David San Filippo Ph.D.

Bereavement is the process of suffering that follows the loss of a living being that is significant to someone. When one suffers, she or he has to endure an unpleasant experience, in the case of bereavement, the loss of something special to the person. This loss most often is a loved one but could also include the loss of a pet, relationship, or physical or mental capability. This state of suffering is called grief. In describing his grief, C. S. Lewis stated, after the loss of his wife, “No one ever told me that grief felt so much like fear. …

The Prevention Of Suicide In Alaska's Tribal Health Care Setting, Kyla Hagan, Ryan Hill, Lisa Wexler

Lisa Wexler

No abstract provided.

Tooth-Size Discrepancy And Bolton's Ratios: The Reproducibility And Speed Of Two Methods Of Measurement, Othman S. A., Harradine N. W.

Siti Adibah Othman

OBJECTIVE: To determine and compare the reproducibility and speed of two methods of performing Bolton's tooth-size analysis. DESIGN: Analysis of randomly selected clinical sample. SETTING: Bristol Dental Hospital, University of Bristol, United Kingdom. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Pre-treatment study casts of 150 patients were selected randomly from 1100 consecutively treated Caucasian orthodontic patients. Bolton tooth-size discrepancies and ratios were measured using two methods; one method employed entirely manual measurement and the Odontorule slide rule, while the other employed digital calipers and the HATS analysis software. Twenty study casts were measured twice, a week apart with both methods. Another three investigators also …

A Preliminary Study Of Dengue Infection In Brunei, Fong Mun Yik Fongmy

fong mun yik fongmy

The purpose of this study was to examine the extent of dengue infection in Brunei and to determine the predominant serotype circulating in the country. The study generated useful epidemiological data on dengue infection in Brunei. A total of 271 samples from patients suspected of having dengue infections were selected and analyzed. All patients were seen in clinics and hospitals in Brunei. The samples were collected from April 2005 to April 2006 and transported to the WHO Collaborating Centre for Arbovirus Reference and Research, University of Malaya, Malaysia. The following tests were used to achieve the objectives: in-house IgM-capture enzyme-linked …

Race, Gender And Stroke Subtypes Mortality In Sao Paulo, Brazil., Paulo A. Lotufo

Paulo A Lotufo

Stroke mortality rates have a discrepant distribution according to socioeconomic variables as social exclusion in Brazil. Recently, data from race has been available from the official health statistics considering five categories: White, Mixed, Black, Asian and Native. We addressed in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, an analysis of cerebrovascular mortality according to race (excluding Asian and Native due to small number of events) and gender during 1999-2001 for people aged 30 to 79 years-old. For all cerebrovascular diseases, age-adjusted mortality rates (x 100,000) for men were higher for Black (150.2), intermediate for Mixed (124.2) and lower for White (104.5) …

The Impact Of Game Outcome On The Well-Being Of Athletes, Marc Jones, David Sheffield

Marc Jones

The present study examined the impact of game outcome on the well-being of athletes. Participants from hockey and soccer teams completed mood and general health questionnaires indicating how they had been feeling over the past few days on three separate occasions. These were four to six days after a win; four to six days after a loss; and over 10 days since the last competition (control period). Differences in well-being were observed following wins, losses, and during the control period. Specifically, athletes reported lower depression and anger after a win compared to a loss, while lower levels of vigour were …

Working With Lgbt Clients: Strategies For Geriatric Care Managers, Kimberly D. Acquaviva

Kimberly D. Acquaviva, PhD, MSW

No abstract provided.

Screening, Diagnosis, And Treatment Of Depression In Patients With End-Stage Renal Disease, Scott D. Cohen, Lorenzo Norris, Kimberly D. Acquaviva, Rolf A. Peterson, Paul L. Kimmel

Kimberly D. Acquaviva, PhD, MSW

Depression is common in patients with end-stage renal disease and has been linked to increased mortality. Screening for depression in the general medical population remains controversial; however, given the high prevalence of depression and its significant impact on morbidity and mortality, a strong case for depression screening in patients with end-stage renal disease can be made. Several studies have been performed to validate the more common depression screening measures in patients with chronic kidney disease. The Beck Depression Inventory, the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, the Nine-Question Patient Health Questionnaire, and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale are some …

Site Variation In Ems Treatment, Transport And Survival In Relation To Restoration Of Spontaneous Circulation (Rosc) For Adult Out-Of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: The Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium (Roc) Epistry, Mohamud R. Daya, Kent M. Koprowicz, Dana M. Zive, Julie E. Cummins, Gena K. Sears, Terri A. Schmidt, Shannon W. Stephens, Ian G. Stiell

Kent M Koprowicz

Introduction: EMS protocols outlining when to attempt and terminate resuscitation for non-traumatic out-of- hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) vary substantially across North America. The ROC Epistry is a prospective population based cohort study with uniform Utstein-style data definitions from 11 sites in North America. The purpose of this study was to compare site variation in EMS treatment and transport percentages within the ROC Epistry. We also examined the differences in overall survival in relation to the presence of ROSC prior to transport. Methods: Analysis of ROC Epistry data from 7 sites for all patients > 20 years of age with OHCA between …

Oaxacans Like To Work Bent Over: The Naturalization Of Social Suffering Among Berry Farm Workers, Seth M. Holmes Phd, Md

Seth M. Holmes PhD, MD

No abstract provided.

Explaining Disparities In Hiv Infection Among Black And White Men Who Have Sex With Men: A Meta-Analyis Of Hiv Risk Behaviors, Greg Millett

Gregorio Millett

No abstract provided.

Intercountry Adoption And Poverty: A Human Rights Analysis, David M. Smolin

David M. Smolin

This Article explores the question of whether intercountry adoption is an effective, appropriate, or ethical response to poverty in developing nations. As a matter of methodology, this fundamental question of adoption ethics is explored through the lens of international human rights law. This Article specifically argues that, where the birth parents live under or near the international poverty standard of $1 per day, family preservation assistance must be provided or offered as a condition precedent for accepting a relinquishment that would make the child eligible for intercountry adoption.